Ex-NSW Premier Nick Greiner has proposed that land value embedded in public housing estates be recycled to generate new social housing - by redeveloping the estates into higher density living. Greiner…
The recent report on foreign investment in Australian property failed to address how to solve affordability issues.
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The federal government has missed an opportunity to give serious thought to housing affordability in Australia. The House Standing Committee on Economics recently released its report on individual foreign…
Should housing policy and tax reform be driven by pricey Sydney housing?
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The perennial debate about negative gearing of residential property investments has been reignited yet again, by two reports in the past week. The International Monetary Fund has nominated taxes on housing…
Is assuming houses are like bananas making us look like apes?
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A poster in the head office of a state planning agency claims: “Highest Housing Approvals in a decade: Keeping homes more affordable”. Indeed, the latest figures show national housing approvals rose 16…
House prices in New Zealand continue their upwards march.
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Independent Australian Senator Nick Xenophon is planning a legislative push for first home buyers to be able to access their superannuation savings to pay for a house deposit, mirroring a similar policy…
With an average 2.5 properties each, Australian politicians are living the housing dream.
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Australian politicians are keen property owners. Data compiled by Lindsay David, Deakin University’s Philip Soos and Paul Egan from the parliamentary register of members’ interests shows the 226 members…
Australian youth is at risk of being locked out of the housing market, and a significant number are falling through the gaps of the rental market.
AAP/David Crosling
It’s Saturday morning in West Brunswick, a suburb in Melbourne’s inner north. From my bedroom window I can see a crowd gathering across the road for a house inspection. The crowd swells to 60 or so people…
The IMF is wasting its time trying to convince central banks of a housing bubble.
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Australia’s house prices are grossly overinflated – if you believe the International Monetary Fund’s recent analysis. It says radical policies are required to deflate this emerging housing bubble, such…
On budget night there will be winners and losers when it comes to housing subsidies.
Alan Porritt/AAP
The great Australian dream to own a house has long been underwritten by the great Australian housing subsidy. Whether you are a public or social housing tenant, a private renter or a homeowner, chances…
The National Rental Affordability Scheme is working as designed, but has failed to meet targets.
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The National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) looks set for a major shakeup by the government, following suggestions it has been hijacked by universities to develop subsidised studio apartments for wealthy…
Everyone has a dream home, but for many it remains a dream.
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It’s ironic that fantasy home shows are the latest genre in reality TV, at a time when affordable housing is the real fantasy for many. The format is strangely addictive – photogenic twenty somethings…
The vision for a “Global Sydney” overshadows the need for affordable housing in the city.
James Morgan/AAP
The forecast is grim for housing affordability in Sydney, according to a recent government briefing paper. In the last decade median rent for all properties in the inner ring of Sydney more than doubled…
Australians of all ages are lining up to tap the equity in their home, but as a policy solution for welfare it comes with many risks.
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Perceptions of the family home have changed dramatically in recent years. Once viewed as a tool to ensure low housing costs in old age, a more complex and wide-ranging welfare role for home ownership has…
Under the current tax regime, investors and cashed up owner occupiers are bidding up the cost of housing.
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In an ideal (and economically efficient) world, tax policy would not influence the investment or consumption choices taxpayers make. In reality, this neutrality is rarely achieved. External factors influence…
For many people, renting is preferable to buying, but many of Australia’s institutions don’t reflect that choice.
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Australia is the world capital for property speculation. Australians play property like Monopoly: buying, selling, demolishing, rebuilding, extending, renovating, always with the promise of appreciation…
Feeling secure about housing is very important for elderly people, especially when physical and financial constraints limit their options.
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The federal parliament has established a far-reaching inquiry into affordable housing. The terms of reference make only two specific references to issues affecting older people, but it is essential that…
Affordable housing in China is usually clustered into fenced housing estates of 1000 to 4000 dwelling units.
Rebecca L.H. Chiu
The sudden dismissal of Australia’s National Housing Supply Council last month suggests we may be entering a new housing policy vacuum. This is bad news for aspiring first home buyers, whose numbers have…
A government guarantee could attract more private investment into affordable housing.
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First home buyers are slipping in the ranks of Australians purchasing a home, and once again negative gearing and supply issues are back in the spotlight. Even Aussie Home Loans founder John Symond has…
Professor; School of Economics, Finance and Property, and Director, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, Curtin Research Centre, Curtin University